Family Therapy For Addiction

Addiction doesn’t just affect the individual. It affects those around them: Friends, colleagues, loved ones and families. Family Therapy For Addiction can play a crucial role in helping everyone heal together.

There will be communication breakdowns, unhelpful coping mechanisms and conflict. The focus of family relationships will shift to try and contain the problem.

In time, trust can be rebuilt. The emotional and physical well being of family members can be restored.

Addiction affects the family in significant ways.

Drug and alcohol addiction disrupts family dynamics in profound ways.

Imagine someone in your family is caught up in the grips of alcohol addiction. Their behaviour can be erratic and they can be frequently absent from the home. This will create a sense of instability among those in the home and lead to stress and anxiety.

Others, within the home, will have to take up the slack for those tasks and responsibilities not being undertaken by the absent family member.

Alcohol and drugs cost money.

Addiction can pose a very significant financial strain. Money that should be used for food, clothing and bills is diverted to sustaining a habit.

The Key Concepts

Effective family therapy is guided by two key concepts which will lay the building blocks for success. By understanding and implementing these two core components, the process can be transformative.

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• Establishing Open Communication

Open and honest communication is the key. An environment where individuals feel safe enough to say what they really feel , where they can openly express their thoughts and feelings healing can occur. This environment will help to foster empathy.

With open communication, everyone involved can get a deeper understanding of each others perspectives and experiences. As this occurs, more compassionate conversations break out. These are essential for conflict resolution and building stronger relationships within the family.

As family members are able to openly communicate, it allows for a deeper understanding of each other’s perspectives and experiences. This understanding can lead to increased empathy and compassion, which are essential for resolving conflicts and building stronger relationships within the family unit.
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• Building Understanding and Trust

Without trust, family therapy won’t work.

It will take time to rebuild it, but an experienced family therapist will help members of the family in a process where, using open and honest conversation, trust can be built.

Establishing trust won’t happen in one session.

It will take time and effort. Those taking part need to gain a sense of security and that they are not being judged. A sense that they can share their concerns, vulnerabilities and fears without the fear that they aren’t being listened to or considered to be exaggerating or seeing things out of context.

Family therapy is about seeing things from other peoples perspectives. Everyone has different experiences and differing ways of processing and interpreting situations. Everyones view is valid and welcome.

The Stages in Addiction Treatment

As with any process, there are stages to family therapy.

Having an understanding of the different stages is really useful. It can help family members to prepare for the process and to gain the most from it.

Usually there are five elements of family therapy which are applied in a graded model.

The first element is:

• Engagement- Building Trust

The therapist will establish a rapport with the family, help to create a warm and welcoming space and invite open discussion. Key concerns are raised so that the therapist can plan for the process.

• Assessment- Understanding What is Going On

Using questionnaires, structured interviews and family trees, the therapists looks at the communication styles within the family. What behaviours are used, the underlying issues affecting the family and the results of these behaviours.

• Goal Setting- Defining Objectives

Now that everyone feels at ease in the sessions, the problems have been identified and those attending feel safe enough not to hide their concerns and fears, it is time to make a plan for progress. Achievable goals are set, ways to resolve conflict are examined and less destructive boundaries are discussed.

• Intervention- Applying The Techniques

At this juncture, the therapist is able to offer a range of therapeutic techniques in order to help the family move forward.

Usually, there are four different approaches that can be used:

• Structural: Where family roles are examined and boundaries re-set
• Solution focused: Looking at practical solutions to problems
• Narrative: Looking at peoples experiences in different ways
• Experiential: Using role play to enhance understanding.

These approaches will help to promote emotional growth, problem solving and lead to healthier interactions within the family.

• Termination and Follow Up – Keeping the progress flowing

Goals, when achieved, the focus will then move to reinforcing change for the better. The therapist will work with the family to establish long term and sustainable success.

Behavioural Approach

Individuals can have cognitive behavioural therapy, while in recovery for addiction, to change their behaviours, so the principals can be applied in family therapy in addiction treatment.

Often in families where someone is caught up in the madness of addiction, family members act in ways that can enable the addiction, rather than set healthy boundaries. This is normal. Addiction is abnormal and not something families expect. Not knowing what to do for the best is the default.

Behavioural family therapy (BFT) can be used to modify behaviours, within the family, that are fueling the fire of addiction and causing havoc in the family and the way family members interact with each other.

BFT uses communication skills training, problem solving and positive reinforcement to effect long term change.

Classically, family members will try and clear their loved ones drug debts without realising that they are only making things worse. Their actions could be perpetuating the drug taking behaviours without knowing it.

It is natural for family members , in trying to help, to make the addict the priority. When this happens, they neglect their own needs and well being. In the long term, this will be detrimental. Not only to themselves, but the very person they are trying to help.

Multidimensional Approach

A very effective approach in the treatment of addiction is Multidimensional Family Therapy (MFT).

This approach looks at the many dimensions of peoples lives. This can include their relationships, emotions and behaviours. The aim is to give individual family members the power to work together to help the addict overcome their addiction.

MFT looks at the person, caught up in addiction, in the context of the wider family group and there environment. The conceptual basis in MFT is that addiction results from peer pressure, poor family dynamics and a wider societal influence. The core of MFT is to address all of these root causes.

Emotional well being is essential at anytime, even more so when someone in a family is struggling with addiction. MFT therapists work to help people regulate their emotions, address their stress levels and explore unresolved trauma.

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